Two Clemson stars selected in NFL Draft’s 1st round
Isaiah Simmons arrived at Clemson as a lightly-recruited safety.
He leaves as the most versatile defender in college football and now a first-round pick.
Simmons was selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the No. 8 overall pick in the first round of Thursday’s NFL Draft, the first Clemson player off the board. Clemson cornerback A.J. Terrell was drafted later Thursday by the Atlanta Falcons.
Simmons was a two-year starter for the Tigers, leading Clemson in tackles in 2018 and 2019. In addition to tackles, the Kansas native also led Clemson in tackles for loss and sacks this past season.
“This is one of the most unique players I’ve ever evaluated,” Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim said. “There’s very little this guy can’t do. We vowed to fix this defense.”
Simmons redshirted in 2016 as the Tigers won the national championship and was a key piece of Clemson’s 2018 defense as the Tigers won their second national title in three years. He was awarded the Butkus Award in 2019 as the top linebacker in the country.
Simmons almost never attended Clemson, as his dream school was Arkansas, but the Razorbacks declined to offer Simmons while he was on a visit there for a camp.
It appeared as though Simmons was headed to Nebraska or Michigan before Clemson got involved just a few weeks before Signing Day in 2016.
Clemson had three defensive backs leave early for the NFL Draft about three weeks before National Signing Day, and Dabo Swinney and his staff were left scrambling to fill the spots.
Tigers defensive coordinator Brent Venables received a tip that Simmons might be a player worth looking at, and after watching Simmons’ film, Clemson made a strong push for Simmons. He committed to the Tigers the day before Signing Day in 2016 and the rest is history.
AJ Terrell to Atlanta
Clemson cornerback A.J. Terrell said prior to the start of the 2019 season that it was a “big year” for him on the football field.
That’s in part because it was also a big summer for Terrell away from it. Terrell’s son — Aundell Terrell III — was born last June, and Terrell wanted to have a season worthy of being a high draft pick.
Mission accomplished.
Terrell was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the No. 16 overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday.
Terrell begins his NFL career after spending three seasons at Clemson. He recorded six interceptions during his time with the Tigers.
“My playing style, I would say I’m a competitor. I don’t like to back down from competition,” Terrell said after getting selected. “I’m going to give the receiver my best. I know I’m going to get theirs. We’re just going to compete for the whole four quarters.”
The Georgia native, who will get to stay in his home state as he continues his football career, was a two-year starter for Clemson, earning third-team All-ACC honors as a sophomore in 2018 and first-team honors in 2019. Terrell helped the Tigers reach the College Football Playoff all three seasons he was at Clemson, and he had a pick-six in Clemson’s victory over Alabama in the 2018 national championship game.
There was talk that Terrell should return to school for his senior season after he struggled in the 2019 national title game against LSU, but the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Terrell clearly made the right choice opting to skip his senior year.
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 9:15 PM.
